"The human factor will decide the fate of war, of all wars. Not the Mirage, nor any other plane, and not the screwdriver, or the wrench or radar or missiles or all the newest technology and electronic innovations. Men—and not just men of action, but men of thought. Men for whom the expression 'By ruses shall ye make war' is a philosophy of life, not just the object of lip service."
IDF-AF commander Ezer Weizman:On Eagles' Wings

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Sunday, March 21, 2010

Fighter pilots wore diapers and flew non-stop for more than nine hours to carry out the Indian Air Force's farthest and longest bombing exercise recently - symbolising the IAF's extended reach.They flew Sukhoi-30 MKI fighters to destroy mock targets in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.A senior IAF officer told HT, "The fighters dropped air-to-ground ordnance for the first time on an uninhabited island in the Andamans. We want to exploit the location of these islands to train fighter pilots for extreme missions."Six fighter planes were launched from air force bases in Bareilly and Pune for the experimental long-haul mission. Russian Ilyushin-78 refuellers flew from Agra to tank up the Sukhois during the flight over the Bay of Bengal.The officer said long-range missions would be planned regularly from now on to push the limits of technology and human endurance..........................................Hindustantimes

History has it that at least one USAF F16 pilot once accidentally triggered the ejection seat sequence while fumbling through his zipper and urine collection apparatus. End result: the $30 million jet (in perfect working order) was a total loss while the pilot still pissed his paint.

Sometimes the simple but less glamorous solution IS the best solution.